Missing Dishes
by SwanQueen101
Summary: After Emma comes out to her parents, Regina realizes that she's missing a few dishes and goes to the Sheriff's office to report it. One-shot after Neverland, but none of this curse being re-casted stuff.


**A/U: HEYYYY GUYYYSSS! I'm back! Okay, so my bitch of a computer deleted all my shit cause the tech people had to erase everything off of it (something to do with my safari crashing)... and in all my shit were my stories. So, I'm starting fresh with all new stories! Most of my stories are going to be one-shots, and I'm definitely taking prompts! This just came into my head, and I really wanted to write it out. It has none of this bullshit "curse being re-casted" or whatever the fuck is happening in the show. It's set after Neverland, and it's just something that I came up with cause this is really how I want my parents to react to me coming out, even though I know they won't.**

**Anyway, I love you all, and I'm so glad I'm out of my writing funk!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT!**

Emma munches on the lasagna that's always so assaulting to her taste buds. The table that she's eating at is lonely, though she knows that it shouldn't come as such a surprise. Everyone seems to leave eventually, though she knows that this situation is different. Snow had told her that "we just need some time to adjust," and "please don't believe this is us leaving you; that's not what's happening at all. We still love you."

This is why she's never told anyone except for the few that she's slept with. Of course they knew, though; there's a reason she chose them. And there's also the fact that she's never really had roots. It really wasn't even supposed to come out of her mouth. Damn Snow and David for letting her trust them. Of course, David didn't really say anything; he just sat there with his eyes narrowed at her like he could see straight into her soul. And that kinda freaked the shit outta her.

He had tried to get her alone; she could tell that much. Snow, though, wasn't having it. As soon as the words "Well, I'm sorta, kinda, not really… attracted to the, uh, male gender," managed to make it's way out of Emma's mouth, Snow had shut down and become this inconsolable mess of words and apologies and demands. It was quite overwhelming, concerning, and more than a little insulting. So, Emma had quietly left, taking one last look at David, who had followed her with his eyes to the door. She could've sworn that she saw a flash of understanding, but she'd never expect it to be true.

So now, almost a week later, there's been no communication between any of them; Emma being left to cry herself to sleep, though she'd never admit to that, and the Charmings being left to brood over what they've been told. Though Snow's the only one really brooding. David's pondering, more of, than brooding. He knows more than he lets on, but he's not going to do anything about it until he sees it for himself. He knows he can't tell Snow; she'd flip her shit if she figured out what he knows. No, he thinks, she's not ready for that information.

Emma looks back down at the dish that she's been eating, the lasagna, and smiles. She thanks her kid once again for bringing it for her, even if he can't hear her. She knows if Regina found out that he'd been sneaking food out to her, she'd be furious. The thought, though it shouldn't, makes her smile fondly.

Regina and Emma have gotten much closer than they used to be, though they still have their rough spots. Their banter stays mostly the same, though it's definitely lost most of it's bite. They don't aim to harm each other anymore, but they probably aren't aiming to help each other. Which is why Emma's sure Regina would be pissed that she's been taking her leftover food, even if it's because Emma doesn't have any food to eat after dinner.

Yeah, Emma could easily go to Granny's for dinner, and she did do that for the first two days, but she soon figured out that going to Granny's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner will make you pretty sick of her food, no matter what you get. So she took to cereal in the morning, and Regina's food for dinner. Lunch she either skips or goes to Granny's.

She wakes up early so nobody knows that she has moved out of her parents' apartment and is currently living at Granny's, no surprise there. If people ask, though, she tells them that she's looking for a new apartment, that it's getting too crowded in the little space when Henry stays with her. They all nod understandingly and don't bring it up again.

She's lucky, she likes to think. She's the savior, so she's never questioned. But then, she feels the loneliness creep into her heart, and she really can't help the way that her heart constricts and how her eyes water at night until they overflow onto her cheeks. She hates the way her eyes and heart betray her. She knows people can see the bags under her eyes, and she supposes that she'll never know why they don't ask anything about it.

Regina would ask, she thinks, though she'd ask in her really twisted way that wouldn't really make much sense and might end up insulting her sweetly. The only problem is that Regina hasn't asked. She hasn't asked because she's been busy doing other official things like paperwork. Stuff that Emma likes to think doesn't really matter.

David hasn't shown up to work since Emma spilled the beans, and that confuses her, even though she knows he's probably trying to console an unconsolable Snow. Sometimes, most times, she wishes that she never told them. Or, she wishes she'd never told Snow.

She thanks Henry one last time, only this time it's for being understanding. She'd told him and he'd kinda looked at her a lot like David had before he nodded his head in determination and told her he was going to bring her food. She had laughed at him, thinking that he was joking, but when he'd turned his ever serious gaze back to her, she abruptly stopped laughing, a smile still on her face.

"That's nice kid," she'd said, "but I really don't need any food. I've got Granny's for that." She'd smiled and two days later, radioed him back telling him that some food wouldn't be rejected. Especially if it was his mom's food. She could hear him laughing at her though the radio before she heard the "told ya so," over the walkie-talkie. She'd scoffed, but ended up laughing with him until she heard the bedroom door creaking open from Regina opening it.

"Henry, time to get ready for bed. Tell Emma goodnight."

"Okay, mom! Night Emma." He'd said it cheerily. Emma could tell that he was happy to be back home for the time being. They'd all been in a really good game for a while now, exchanging houses every two weeks with visits when they wanted, though they couldn't take up the whole time. It worked really well, and Emma knew that it could only get better from there.

Once Henry even suggested that Emma move in with Regina and him so that she could always be there with him. At Regina's deer-in-the-headlights look, Emma had declined, saying that she kinda wanted her own space. It had been a lie, but Regina had looked so panicked at having to explain that to Henry that Emma had easily taken the weight of the truth off of her. She'd love to be around Henry all the time, and being around Regina all the time wouldn't be such a terrible thing. Sure they fight sometimes, but that's definitely gotten better since Neverland. They've learned to work together.

When Emma told Henry about the incident, as she now liked to call it, she told him not to tell anyone. When he'd looked at her as if she was crazy, she'd rolled her eyes and told him specifically not to tell Regina. He'd thrown a bunch of questions her way about why he couldn't, but when she told him that she wasn't going to tell him anything other than to not tell her, he went quiet. When he got out of the car to go to Regina's, he'd thrown a smile her way, as well as the promise of food.

This was the third day that she'd gotten food from Regina. She was surprised the OCD brunette didn't realize that some of her plates were missing. Emma had even started to take some of the leftover that she didn't eat for dinner to lunch the next day. Regina hasn't come in, and neither has David, so she knows she'll be safe. At least for a little while longer.

She puts the plate in the mini-fridge that was in the hotel room, and she goes upstairs. She's gotten into bed by the time the tears come this time. She lies there, looking at the ceiling, wishing that the tears would stop leaving the corners of her eyes. They don't. The thoughts don't leave either.

There's nobody there for her. Henry's there, sure, but that's only half of the time. She's alone for now. The next week, she'll be alone with her thoughts. The idea of that has never made her physically ill, but it does this night. She quickly rushes to the bathroom, tears still streaming down her face.

She can't taste anything; she can't feel anything. She's numb, and it's a scary thought for her. She washes out her mouth and walks back to bed quickly. She numbly stares up at the ceiling, no tears falling this time.

Rather quickly, she's thrown into her nightmares.

* * *

It's lunch when she takes out the leftovers of her meal that she'd put in the mini-fridge the night before. Her eyes still have bags underneath them, and David still hasn't shown up to work. She quickly unwraps the aluminum foil that's over the meal and puts the plate in the newly installed microwave. She waits twenty seconds before taking the meal out, tasting it, and putting it back in for another twenty seconds. She taps her foot to the beeping sound coming from the contraption before opening the door once again. She sets the plate down on her desk and picks up her fork.

She's halfway though her meal when she hears the fast clicking of heels coming toward her office. Emma looks up from the plate before remembering that Regina doesn't know that she's been eating her food. Her eyes widen before she quickly takes the plate and shoves it under her desk, making sure that it doesn't clatter on the floor before sitting back upright in her chair.

Regina turns the corner and looks directly at her.

"Miss Swan."

"Regina," Emma smirks, "what can I do for you today?" Regina pauses a second too long, and Emma notices. Her smirk quickly falls, and she looks down at her desk. She knew Regina would notice her appearance.

"Are you all right, dear?" The concern, though wanted, is strange. There's a lot more sarcasm than there is concern, but Emma can still hear it. She looks up, almost hopefully, before her eyes cloud over with the mask that she's been so desperately trying to keep up until her parents talk to her again.

"About as good as it can get, Regina. I'm just tired, nothing big." She smiles perfectly, just like she's supposed to, before it drops just the tiniest of bits at the unimpressed raised eyebrow coming from the newly appointed mayor.

"Well if you insist." She sighs before continuing. "I'm here to report a theft. My plates are going missing. Only a few, and I know it's strange, but Henry seems to know nothing about it, and if I lose any more of them, I'm not going to have any left to set the table with." Emma raises an eyebrow at her, surprise coloring her face along with a blush of shame. She looks down at the table quickly. She didn't know she was taking so many of them. When she drags her eyes back up to the brown ones, she notices that they're narrowed in suspicion. She's given herself away. "You know something."

"I've got no clue-" Regina rolls her eyes.

"I'm sure you don't, Emma. Whenever you find the plates, give them back to me, please. And if those two idiots are somehow behind this, I swear…" she trails off, noticing the look of sorrow etched into Emma's facial expression.

"Okay, what's going on." Regina demands, determination shining in her eyes.

"Regina-"

"No, you're going to tell me what's going on because Henry's been acting strange this past week. He keeps looking at me strangely and muttering under his breath before heading up the stairs. I have no idea what's going on, and I hate feeling that way. Now. What. Is. Going. On." She glares at Emma, a small fragment of hurt showing through her mask. Emma's face colors in embarrassment before she looks over at Regina.

"Look, there's nothing going on that involves you." Directly, she wants to add, "I'll talk to the kid, and see what he's thinking if you want, but I can promise you that it's nothing you need to worry about." Regina studies Emma for a few moments in silence.

"Why aren't you getting sleep?" She asks abruptly. Emma blinks in shock before a smirk takes over her face.

"Why, Madame Mayor, are you worried about me?" Regina rolls her eyes at Emma's cockiness, but she can't hide the small blush that tints at her cheeks.

"Don't avoid the question." She insists. Emma's smirk widens.

"I'll make a deal with you." Regina scoffs. "If I answer your question, you have to answer mine." Now it's Regina's turn to smirk.

"All right, dear. You answer first." Emma nods.

"Well, I got into a… disagreement with Snow and David, and they needed some space. So I've moved out for a little while. Mainly Snow needs the space. David… I'm not really sure about him. Anyway, I haven't gotten sleep because it's been bothering me. That's all." Emma purses her lips before looking up from the desk that she'd fixed her eyes on. Might as well go all the way, she assumes. "And, since the subject was brought up, I'm kinda the one with your plates. Henry's been bringing me dinner cause I can't cook worth shit and I got tired of going to Granny's for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner." She bends over and pick up the plate that has the half-eaten lasagna on it. "You can have this one back, and I'll get the rest of them back to you tonight, if that's all right."

Emma can't really tell what she's supposed to think of Regina's facial expression. It's a mix between anger, disappointment, frustration, understanding, and something that she can't quite decipher. She doesn't really understand the look of understanding that flashes across Regina's face, but she assumes she's agreeing with Snow and David for kicking her out. She tries to bite back the sigh of disappointment that seems to assault her stomach all of a sudden, but she can't quite quench the annoyance that bubbles to the surface as a mask to hide the disappointment.

"Geez, you don't have to try so hard to hide your anger. Please, yell at me all you want. I'm sure you think I deserve all of it." Emma snarls the sarcastic comment sharply, puncturing it with a roll of her eyes. Regina's eyes widen before they narrow in irritation.

"Don't be so sure, Miss Swan. Your ignorance is not appreciated, and I hope you're able to put your utter arrogance away next time I make it over to ask how you are. Not everything is always about you. I have every reason to be angry with Snow; I don't even care that you have my plates, though I wouldn't mind you dropping them off tonight. You obviously haven't had time to finish your lunch, so drop that one by as well." Regina starts making her way towards the door, leaving behind a flustered and confused Emma. When she gets to the door, she quickly throws her last words over her shoulder. "And, yes Emma, I _am_ worried."

* * *

Emma quickly runs back to Granny's after her shift ends, grabs the plates, checks her reflection though she doesn't know why she does, and heads out the door to the Mayor's mansion. She pulls her beat up bug up the expensive driveway and parks the car. She then proceeds to back out of the driveway and park on the side of the road. Then she thinks about what might happen if her car gets in the way of someone driving on this road, though nobody really drives on this road anymore. So she starts to pull onto the grass a bit. Then she considers the fact that she might be ruining Regina's grass.

That's about the time that Regina herself swings the door to her house open, opens the gate around her home while Emma's put her car in reverse once again, and, as Emma begins to drive again, she steps out in front of the deathtrap with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip. Slamming on the brakes, though she was barely going fast enough to beat a turtle in a race, she rolls down her window.

"What the hell, Regina? I could have hit you!"

"Well then at least you would have made some progress by getting out of the car, assuming you would have checked to make sure I didn't die, of course. Having trouble finding a spot for your yellow monstrosity, dear?" The mocking tone and arched brow make Emma nervous, which confuses her. She's not usually nervous with Regina. Irritated, yeah, but not nervous. In fact, now that she thinks back, she's been nervous ever since Regina stepped into her office this afternoon. _What the hell?_ She silently stews over this newfound information.

Nerves aren't the only thing that's new apparently, she thinks after she's done undressing the woman before her with her eyes. She blushes profusely at the idea of what she's just done. She doesn't look into the brunette's eyes when she answers her question.

"I wasn't sure where you wanted me to park. I don't want to kill your grass." She mentally slaps herself for saying something so stupid. When she looks up a Regina, though, all she sees is amusement. She shrugs her shoulders and lets out an awkward chuckle.

"Well then, Emma, I should hope you don't kill my grass either. You can pull up into the driveway. Nobody's going anywhere anytime soon." Emma stalls at the sincerity of the comment.

"Thanks." She says quietly, looking down at the steering wheel. "So!" She says, slapping the wheel. "Where should I park my so-called monstrosity?" She smirks at the woman before her. Her smirk falters as she thinks about the fact that she just invited herself over when she could just hand over the dishes through the window. "Or, I mean, you could just take the dishes now." She mumbles, embarrassed by the shy way the comment comes out. She immediately berates herself for being so vulnerable.

"I could," Regina pauses, trying to hide her uncertainty, "but since you're already here, I don't think Henry would mind if you stayed for dinner." She nods her head at the statement, almost as if to check and make sure she said the right thing. Emma looks up at her, a smile on her face. She recognizes the gesture to be what it is, Regina acknowledging that she cares, even under the guise of Henry.

"That sounds great. This time I won't steal any of your plates, I swear." She chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.

"See to it that you don't, Sheriff." Regina replies with a smirk. Emma nods once, mirth shining in her eyes.

"Of course, Madame Mayor. I'll be right in." Regina returns the nod before stalking back up the walkway, putting a tad more sway in her hips than before. Emma watches her walk away with a shake of her head and a smile on her face.

* * *

Dinner is going well until a knock on the front door makes everyone pause in their casual conversation and share quizzical looks.

"You guys weren't expecting anyone, were you?" Emma asks with a small bit of panic laced in her tone. Regina just shakes her head and places a hand over Emma's with a small smile. Henry's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline when he sees the action. He'd noticed the shy smiles and tender touches, but he'd never seen either of them be so bold. His shocked expression soon fell as his lips turned up a little in happiness. Maybe his moms were finally getting their happy ending. He just never thought about the idea of them being happy _together._ He's sure he can get used to it, though.

The knock sounds again, and this time, it's a little less patient. Regina stands from the table.

"I'll see who it is." She says as she turns away from the table and walks over towards the front door.

Opening the front door, she's surprised to see Snow and David standing somewhat impatiently on the other side.

"Well if it isn't Snow White and her Prince Charming. How nice to see you invading my home and time with my son." Her sarcasm can be heard in her voice and seen in her guarded smile that doesn't reach her eyes. David, surprisingly, directs a small half-smile at her with a bit of humor in his eyes. Snow, on the other hand, has a look of irritation and acceptance in her eyes.

"Told you we'd find her here, David." Snow insists, while David, subtly rolls his eyes at his wife.

"Of course you did, dear." He says in a tone that suggests _he'd_ been the one to know that she, though Regina doesn't know which she Snow's talking about, would be here.

At the sound of her parents names, Emma had stood up from the table and told Henry to stay there. She now stood behind Regina, peeking over her shoulder. Surprise flashes in Regina's eyes when she feels Emma's hand at the small of her back. She subtly turns so Emma can see her parents as well. Emma quickly removes her hand with a small blush.

"Snow, what are you doing here?" There's a tiny bit of resentment and hurt in her voice, but only Regina seems to catch it. Snow takes a huge breath before starting her speech.

"Well, Emma, we're here to tell you that we accept this. It's taken some time, but we both can handle it now. We'd love for you to come back home instead of living here, but we're okay with it if you want to continue to live with," Snow swallows and looks away from the wide-eyed and shocked women before her, "Regina. I know more than anyone that you can't stop True Love. David's actually the one that convinced me that I should let this go and," she swallows again, "forgive Regina, even though I thought that surely she's corrupted you. But, well, he's really helped me see that Regina's done nothing wrong but be there for you when we haven't. We're not here to convince you to not be how you are, and we're not here to tell you that you can't love Regina because that'd be wrong. We've," David raises an unimpressed eyebrow at her, "okay, _I've_ come to the conclusion that Regina deserves a happy ending, even if that's my daughter." Snow looks up at the shocked, blushing brunette and blonde with a smile. "So, that's about it." Her facial expression drops quickly.

"Wait… did I say something wrong?" Her eyes dart between the two women. Silence is all that greets her for a few minutes. David's the first to understand what's going on.

"Uh, Snow… I don't think they're together." A deep blush covers both David and Snow's faces to match Regina and Emma's.

"Well that makes this really awkward…" Snow trails off. She turns to David. "I thought you said that they were?!" She accuses.

"Well, I know they are attracted to each other, but I wasn't sure if they were together or not! Don't blame me for this; I could have sworn when Emma came out that she was seeing Regina." Emma's face goes crimson when Regina's eyes shift to her, both still jaw-slacked. Regina quickly tries to restart her brain; it works quickly enough. She turns fully to Emma and puts a finger under her chin, slowly snapping her jaw closed. She then turns to Snow with a smirk.

"Well, Snow, I'm glad to hear you approve. David, same to you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" She trails off as she turns back to Emma, the door still opened, and places her lips gently onto Emma's in a kiss that the blonde doesn't quite return. That is, until her brain kick-starts itself. Then she's kissing back fiercely and shutting the door in the faces of her pleased father and somewhat shocked mother. Both are so consumed in their kiss that they don't quite hear the "I told you so" coming from the other side of the door along with the _thwack_ that sounds before the pitiful "ow".

Emma pulls back at the sound of Henry's "oh, gross," though, and smiles at both of them. She looks right at Regina before asking her critical question.

"What was that for?"

"Well I had to break you out of your shock somehow. I just figured that was the most effective way." She smirks before leaning forward and giving Emma a chaste kiss. "And that was because I wanted too." She says, a shy smile on her face. Emma smiles back.

"Well, if you guys would stop with the kissing, can we get back to dinner. I'm still hungry." Regina raises an eyebrow at their son, before rolling her eyes.

"Alright, would you like seconds?" Henry nods his head before running back to the dining room. Before Regina could go after him, Emma grabs her by the waist with a smirk.

"Emma, I have to get Henry's food!" She whispers, attempting to be harsh, when she feels the light kisses trailing her neck. Emma sighs.

"I know, but I don't wanna let go." She whines, a pout firmly in place. A wicked smile forms on Regina's face. She kisses Emma's cheek before placing her lips over the blonde's ear.

"Well, if you don't let go now, I won't be able to bring out dessert later." She purrs before slowly unwinding herself from Emma's stunned grasp. She smirks at her before sauntering into the kitchen to grab Henry's second helpings.

Emma's shocked face morphs into a beaming smile before she hurries after the brunette. She's so glad she's not eating alone tonight. To think this all started over a few missing dishes.

**A/U: SOOO What'd you all think? As my first time writing in about... three months, I'd say it's alright. I have something else that I'm working on that i've been working on since Halloween, but it's a bit different, so I'm struggling with it. Tell me what you think if you don't mind! I wanna get better at write, and I think I do every time I write, but I'd love to hear it from you guys! PM me a prompt if you wanna see anything specific from me! :) Love you all!**

**~SwanQueen101**


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